Magazine

History of Now

Joe Pyne Was America's First Shock Jock

Newly discovered tapes resurrect the angry ghost of Joe Pyne, the original outrageous talk show host

The soil microbe Bacillus subtilis is ubiquitous, but one rare strain yielded scientific pay dirt.

One Girl's Mishap Led to the Creation of the Antibiotic Bacitracin

Margaret Treacy was the namesake for a breakthrough medication

“Salt Series” taken during a low-altitude flight in Western Australia.

Australia's Salt Ponds Look Like Beautiful, Abstract Art From Above

Taking to the sky to show how industry shapes the earth

New York Water Taxi

How New York City Is Rediscovering Its Maritime Spirit

The city's waterfront fell into dangerous decline, but now its on the rebound with a new wave of money and creativity

In 1950, Tollund Man’s discoverers “found a face so fresh they could only suppose they had stumbled on a recent murder.”

Europe's Famed Bog Bodies Are Starting to Reveal Their Secrets

High-tech tools divulge new information about the mysterious and violent fates met by these corpses

Ask Smithsonian 2017

What's the Difference Between Horns and Antlers and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

“Very, very early in my boyhood,” Hudson wrote, “I had acquired the habit of going about alone.”

The Naturalist Who Inspired Ernest Hemingway and Many Others to Love the Wilderness

W.H. Hudson wrote one of the 20th century’s greatest memoirs after a fever rekindled visions of his childhood.

The Unsavory History of Sugar, the Insatiable American Craving

How the nation got hooked on sweets

From the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

History of Now

This Jigsaw Puzzle Was Given to Ellis Island Immigrants to Test Their Intelligence

A confusing set of blocks could seal their fate

Jefferson Davis

The Trial of the Century That Wasn't

The case against Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, would have been a legal showdown of the ages

Cover of Smithsonian Magazine, April 2017

Discussion

Reader responses to our April issue

Eternally mysterious Mount Fuji, as seen from Lake Kawaguchiko, remains a powerful force in Japanese culture and a must-do hike for truth-seekers despite the crowds and the looming threat of eruption.

Why Mount Fuji Endures As a Powerful Force in Japan

Not even crowds and the threat of an eruption can dampen the eternally mysterious volcano

Equus first evolved in North America millions of years ago.

How the Mustang, the Symbol of the Frontier, Became a Nuisance

A mainstay of Western culture, the free-roaming stallions are now a force to be reckoned with

Why I Take Fake Pills

Surprising new research shows that placebos still work even when you know they’re not real

The First Step to Shipping a Chopper? Remove the Blades

When a high-tech helicopter like the Sikorsky S-92 needs to be transported on a cargo plane, it's crucial that every rotor blade is dismantled

Since October 2001, the most populous states have also resettled the most refugees, but some states have accommodated more than might be expected, while others have taken in fewer.

By the Numbers: The United States of Refugees

President Trump’s order temporarily barring all refugees and many immigrants has ignited debate about U.S. policies toward outsiders

Guided only by phone GPS, Salar, left, and Saif crossed the Aegean. “I downloaded every possible map,” says Salar.

A Modern Odyssey: Two Iraqi Refugees Tell Their Harrowing Story

Fleeing violence in Iraq, two close friends embarked on an epic journey across Europe—and ended up worlds apart

Sefton Delmer reads in the radio booth in 1941.

Fighting the Nazis With Fake News

A new documentary rediscovers a World War II campaign that was stranger than nonfiction

Discussion

Reader responses to our March issue

The old Simpsons "haunted" the family house in a 2014 Halloween episode

The Simpson Family Made Its Television Debut 30 Years Ago

When they arrived on the Tracey Ullman show, their look was a little more ragged

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